19.3.2018
Striving to provide assistance in the preparation of Croatia for a new wave of technological changes, Hrvatski Telekom significantly contributes to the popularisation of STEM knowledge and skills, as well as to application of modern technologies throughout the walks of life.
Hence, the donation competition through which HT has been continuously awarding and supporting the best STEM projects in Croatia is focused on this specific objective. It is important to point out that last year, amongst other things, HT donated HRK 300,000 to the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation of Youth (IRIM) for the project entitled "Advanced Internet of Things Technologies (IoT) in Croatian Schools".
Over 100 schools throughout Croatia participate in the project. As a result of the financial assistance provided by HT, Internet of Things (IoT) equipment is available for use in these schools. The basic prerequisites for pupil training and encouragement of their creativity in identification of smart IoT solutions have been met through the required equipment and the relevant teacher training.
The success achieved by the project "Advanced Internet of Things Technologies (IoT) in Croatian Schools" has been confirmed by excellent results achieved during the first competition that was held in January and February of this year, addressing the topic of "Smart Lighting".
88 pupil teams from primary and secondary schools applied for the competition and their works were extremely innovative – ranging from smart home and film lighting to energy efficient lighting systems intended for lighting the streets and car parks.
Each submitted work is also educational material, so that all the schools provided with IoT equipment can replicate the success of other teams and deepen their knowledge of the Internet of Things.
"All the works submitted for this competition that address the issue of "Smart Lighting" are extremely high quality. The evaluation committee was faced with a difficult task of selecting the best works according to creativity and solution presentation. I believe we are heading for an exciting continuation of this story and that the future competitions will also provide a large number of innovative solutions developed by our young creative pupils", noted Paolo Zenzerović, Head of Operations at the Institute for Youth Development and Innovation.
"We are delighted with the high interest in the competition shown by the pupils and their extremely creative IoT solutions. This means that Hrvatski Telekom is likely to play a crucial role in the building of a STEM generation that is already exerting an impact on a speedier entrance of Croatia into the digital age", pointed out Nina Išek Međugorac, Director of Corporate Communications at HT.
Smart lighting for homes
"Smart Lighting for Homes", developed by Franjo Krežma Primary School, was voted the most creative solution.
The project presents different ways of managing lighting fixtures in specific rooms. Different sensors have been used for turning the lighting on and off, as well as for the lighting intensity inside a specific room. The entire system is connected to the Internet through the use of Blynk app, and it also gives the opportunity to manage all the lighting fixtures separately. Moreover, the opportunity is provided for additional combinations and additions to the system.